Day Four! Last Day! I am sure my kids are silently doing the "Happy Dance" Lord knows I am too! The whining is getting to me...I am cracking...it is a slow and annoying crack...but a crack just the same.
I wake up at 5:00am. To my 200 pound dog trying to bulldoze his way upstairs to my room! Why? Because a thunderstorm is on top of us. And he, my friend, is a wimp when it comes to loud noises.
As I knew last night, we were going to get hit by a Derecho. Last year we got hit by one. And hit hard! We had trees down and no electricity for a week. Yay Me!
Once I was able to calm Forest down, I did something....bad... bad...BAD!!!
I had to {gasp!} turn the TV to the Weather Channel! Yep! I did it! And guess what happened!
If you said that the kids popped out of bed and came scurrying downstairs, you would be correct!
They turned the corner with smiles! What was that wonderful noise they were hearing from the big black box? Glorious TV! That is what!
They did not even care that it was just pictures of radar. It was TV. And it was ON!!
I gave them 15 minutes and then kicked them out of the room. They "moaned" as they left the room.
We got through the storm. It did not hit us like the weathermen thought it would. Very grateful for that.
The kids were upstairs. Playing quietly.
They went outside and played.
No real complaining.
We then had to go to Dress Rehearsal. I brought card games again, but I knew one of Jet's friends would be there to play with. So, how bad could it be. Well, his friend had an iPod. I knew I was not going to be able to monitor the boys during dress rehearsal. So, I let it be. Did find out that Jet played with the iPod while I was in the auditorium. For 10 minutes or so. Oh well. It is day four. I am EXHAUSTED! I caved. It was 8:00pm. I did not care.
Went home...and they went to bed. Tomorrow they will wake up. Turn on the TV. And the Wii.
It is over...or is it?
During these 4 days, I received an email from Michaels. They are having a 7 week art program for kids who are 5 years old and up.. 3 times a week (Monday, Wed, Friday). It is a 2 hour class for $2!!!!
It is called Passport to Imagination!
here is the link.. http://www.michaels.com/Passport/pti,default,pg.html
.. it looks like a lot of fun for them.. and it is exactly what I wanted to do for them...ignite their imagination...
I have planned that for the summer, "No Tech" Days will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
I think it will be good for them...and for the family.
I will keep you updated.....thanks for reading...
Sunday, June 16, 2013
No Technology: Day 3
I know I am a little late with these posts. Weather and Dance Recital took a lot of time away from blogging...
But I am back to recap Day 3 of No Technology.
The kids woke up late. Hard Labor the night before will do that. :)
The kids were dragging. No chores were done. They forgot. I have no idea what they were doing. Seems the No technology is making them zombies. Or they are fighting back. Silent protest.
Well, I am still not budging. I make them do all their chores.
My neighbor's grandson is outside playing. And they go out and play with him. I am alone in the house. Lovely silence. I am liking this.
I work a little outside in the yard. They come back home for lunch.
Then, we have to get ready for me to work at the studio. I bring card games with us, so they have something to do.
While we were at the studio, they played ball outside. Until Quinn comes in and I see welts on his face and leg. The poor boy is getting eaten alive from the bugs. And his reaction to the bites are not pretty.
I bring them all in. And I think all is well. I get a little caught up in studio business, when I look over and see Jet playing on another child's iPad! Grrrrrrrrr! *&%^%%$
Oh! Nay! Nay! I looked at Jet and asked him what he was doing? He looked up and knew he was caught. But also knew I could not and would not cause a scene because I was at the studio. Sneaky Kid!! Asked him to give it back to the child.
Came home from the studio and then the kids went to bed. Overall, easy day. Except for the one hiccup.
Thursday is the last day...oh please give me the strength to make is through...
But I am back to recap Day 3 of No Technology.
The kids woke up late. Hard Labor the night before will do that. :)
The kids were dragging. No chores were done. They forgot. I have no idea what they were doing. Seems the No technology is making them zombies. Or they are fighting back. Silent protest.
Well, I am still not budging. I make them do all their chores.
My neighbor's grandson is outside playing. And they go out and play with him. I am alone in the house. Lovely silence. I am liking this.
I work a little outside in the yard. They come back home for lunch.
Then, we have to get ready for me to work at the studio. I bring card games with us, so they have something to do.
While we were at the studio, they played ball outside. Until Quinn comes in and I see welts on his face and leg. The poor boy is getting eaten alive from the bugs. And his reaction to the bites are not pretty.
I bring them all in. And I think all is well. I get a little caught up in studio business, when I look over and see Jet playing on another child's iPad! Grrrrrrrrr! *&%^%%$
Oh! Nay! Nay! I looked at Jet and asked him what he was doing? He looked up and knew he was caught. But also knew I could not and would not cause a scene because I was at the studio. Sneaky Kid!! Asked him to give it back to the child.
Came home from the studio and then the kids went to bed. Overall, easy day. Except for the one hiccup.
Thursday is the last day...oh please give me the strength to make is through...
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
No Technology: Day Two
I have to be honest. Day two did not start out too well. I think the kids thought that if they were on their best behavior on the first day, that I might cave and let things get "back to normal."
I didn't. And right now I am paying for it. I woke up this morning to the kids screaming at each other. About balls. Yes! Balls! Kaileyne had 2 whiffle balls and would not share. Not sure what she was doing with them, but Jet wanted one. I told him that there were white whiffle balls in the toy bin. But noooooo! He didn't want the white ones. He wanted the blue or red one. And Quinn wanted the other. Good Grief!
And none of their chores were done. They forgot. Oh boy! How fast they fall.
I know this is their evil plan. I know they probably gathered in Kaileyne's room this morning and hatched out an agenda on how to "crack me."
Believe it or not, I am the "softie." Ask my husband. I cave. And most times I cave quickly. Especially, when the whining and moaning starts. I am weak. I have little patience. But revenge is sweet. They will not get me. Not today (but cannot promise anything about tomorrow lol)
I mentioned last night that we may take a trip to Costco. That brightened them right up. Out of the house. No imagination needed at Costco.
Well, I wanted to do some yard work outside before we went. That was a mistake. It felt like every 5 minutes, I was being asked "when are we going to Costco." Grrrrrrr!
So, now I start procrastinating. The more they whine, the slower I go. Yep! That went over well.
Kaileyne went in her room. She is my little "huff and puff." She loves to sigh loudly and roll her eyes when I am not doing things as quickly as she wants me to. Gotta love 11 year old girls! Do you want her?
We had a little hiccup in our direct run to Costco. The belt on the vacuum cleaner broke when Jet tried to vacuum the living room. He decided the ends of our rug were in his way, so he tried to suck them up with the vacuum cleaner. So, after dropping off the vacuum cleaner and picking up the kids' new glasses (another surprise detour), we finally made it to Costco.
Oh the kids were in heaven! All the TVs were on. Quinn was so mesmerized he almost ran into a few elderly people looking at camcorders. Kaileyne and Jet were talking about how nice it is to see the tvs with the same thing on it. I teased them a little bit by hovering there a few moments, slowly putting away my Costco card. Then, I pushed them forward. :)
They were good in Costco. How bad could they be? They love all the food demos. The only thing better than TV for them is free food.
We checked out and then they watched me load the car (helpful little buggers aren't they?)
We get home around 3pm. Only FIVE MORE HOURS until bedtime (yes! I have been counting down since I woke up to them screaming at each other!)
Found kids laughing hysterically upstairs. Jet is apparently stuffing his shirt with all kinds of things. Whiffle Balls. Stuffed animals. Looked weird, but it was a crowd pleaser with Quinn and Kaileyne. Who am I to judge?
Dinner was uneventful. They finished eating (did not put their dirty dishes away though)and outside we went. They will play out there and like it!
I came outside to dig out roots from a dead tree (I know my life is so exciting isn't it?). And the kids were a big help. We dug out roots until it got dark. We did have to stop for a little bit for a dog issue ( you do not want to know...) After we cleaned up, we went back to root dismemberment.
Took showers. Now they are in bed. Day started off looking like a disaster, but it ended well.
Day 3 is tomorrow. Is it bad that I am looking forward to Friday?
I didn't. And right now I am paying for it. I woke up this morning to the kids screaming at each other. About balls. Yes! Balls! Kaileyne had 2 whiffle balls and would not share. Not sure what she was doing with them, but Jet wanted one. I told him that there were white whiffle balls in the toy bin. But noooooo! He didn't want the white ones. He wanted the blue or red one. And Quinn wanted the other. Good Grief!
And none of their chores were done. They forgot. Oh boy! How fast they fall.
I know this is their evil plan. I know they probably gathered in Kaileyne's room this morning and hatched out an agenda on how to "crack me."
Believe it or not, I am the "softie." Ask my husband. I cave. And most times I cave quickly. Especially, when the whining and moaning starts. I am weak. I have little patience. But revenge is sweet. They will not get me. Not today (but cannot promise anything about tomorrow lol)
I mentioned last night that we may take a trip to Costco. That brightened them right up. Out of the house. No imagination needed at Costco.
Well, I wanted to do some yard work outside before we went. That was a mistake. It felt like every 5 minutes, I was being asked "when are we going to Costco." Grrrrrrr!
So, now I start procrastinating. The more they whine, the slower I go. Yep! That went over well.
Kaileyne went in her room. She is my little "huff and puff." She loves to sigh loudly and roll her eyes when I am not doing things as quickly as she wants me to. Gotta love 11 year old girls! Do you want her?
We had a little hiccup in our direct run to Costco. The belt on the vacuum cleaner broke when Jet tried to vacuum the living room. He decided the ends of our rug were in his way, so he tried to suck them up with the vacuum cleaner. So, after dropping off the vacuum cleaner and picking up the kids' new glasses (another surprise detour), we finally made it to Costco.
Oh the kids were in heaven! All the TVs were on. Quinn was so mesmerized he almost ran into a few elderly people looking at camcorders. Kaileyne and Jet were talking about how nice it is to see the tvs with the same thing on it. I teased them a little bit by hovering there a few moments, slowly putting away my Costco card. Then, I pushed them forward. :)
They were good in Costco. How bad could they be? They love all the food demos. The only thing better than TV for them is free food.
We checked out and then they watched me load the car (helpful little buggers aren't they?)
We get home around 3pm. Only FIVE MORE HOURS until bedtime (yes! I have been counting down since I woke up to them screaming at each other!)
Found kids laughing hysterically upstairs. Jet is apparently stuffing his shirt with all kinds of things. Whiffle Balls. Stuffed animals. Looked weird, but it was a crowd pleaser with Quinn and Kaileyne. Who am I to judge?
Dinner was uneventful. They finished eating (did not put their dirty dishes away though)and outside we went. They will play out there and like it!
I came outside to dig out roots from a dead tree (I know my life is so exciting isn't it?). And the kids were a big help. We dug out roots until it got dark. We did have to stop for a little bit for a dog issue ( you do not want to know...) After we cleaned up, we went back to root dismemberment.
Took showers. Now they are in bed. Day started off looking like a disaster, but it ended well.
Day 3 is tomorrow. Is it bad that I am looking forward to Friday?
Monday, June 10, 2013
No Technology : Day One
It is officially the end of "Day One." No TV. No Wii. No internet. When I woke up and saw that it was pouring rain outside, I did not want to get out of bed. Of all the days to start this. Not a sunny beautiful day. But a yucky wet day. Pouring rain. Murphy's Law just smacked me in the face. I got up anyway. It was quiet.
I came downstairs to see all three kids playing quietly. Together. They had the legos out and were laughing at all the funny things they were making.
Then, Jet saw me. Told me that when he woke up, the first thing that came into his mind was that he was going to play his new Wii game today. Then he remembered that he couldn't. So, he .. WAIT FOR IT ...cleaned up the play room instead!! {gasp!} Cleaning without me asking? This cannot be my son. I still must be sleeping.
Kaileyne then joined in the conversation and told me that they fed the dog and unloaded the dishwasher.
HUH? I have been screaming at them to do it for weeks. They never remember. But they did today.
All day long, the three of them played together. No fighting. No complaining.
None of them asked me once to turn on the tv.
No one complained that they were "bored." And I did not yell at them once. Which is saying a lot. I am not a "soft-spoken" or "patient" soul. :)
Jet, Kaileyne and Quinn have planned some artsy fartsy stuff for tomorrow just in case it rains. Sock Puppets. You can never go wrong with Sock Puppets!
Honestly, it was a real nice day. The kids had nothing to distract them from doing what they needed or wanted to do.
Now, do not get me wrong. I know it is only Day One of my experiment. I know that this thing can blow up in my face at any moment. The only thing that is in my favor right now is that...they are SCARED of me! And I am using that to my advantage. LOL
That is it for day one. They are all in bed right now. So, you'll excuse me while I jump on the couch, turn on the tv, and watch the season finale of Games of Thrones. That's right! I am a hypocrite. But I earned it. I paid my dues already. My mom use to lock us out of our house and make us play outside. We were forced to play outside. And we were better for it.
See you tomorrow for Day Two's Update. Hopefully, it will not be raining all day long.
I came downstairs to see all three kids playing quietly. Together. They had the legos out and were laughing at all the funny things they were making.
Then, Jet saw me. Told me that when he woke up, the first thing that came into his mind was that he was going to play his new Wii game today. Then he remembered that he couldn't. So, he .. WAIT FOR IT ...cleaned up the play room instead!! {gasp!} Cleaning without me asking? This cannot be my son. I still must be sleeping.
Kaileyne then joined in the conversation and told me that they fed the dog and unloaded the dishwasher.
HUH? I have been screaming at them to do it for weeks. They never remember. But they did today.
All day long, the three of them played together. No fighting. No complaining.
None of them asked me once to turn on the tv.
No one complained that they were "bored." And I did not yell at them once. Which is saying a lot. I am not a "soft-spoken" or "patient" soul. :)
Jet, Kaileyne and Quinn have planned some artsy fartsy stuff for tomorrow just in case it rains. Sock Puppets. You can never go wrong with Sock Puppets!
Honestly, it was a real nice day. The kids had nothing to distract them from doing what they needed or wanted to do.
Now, do not get me wrong. I know it is only Day One of my experiment. I know that this thing can blow up in my face at any moment. The only thing that is in my favor right now is that...they are SCARED of me! And I am using that to my advantage. LOL
That is it for day one. They are all in bed right now. So, you'll excuse me while I jump on the couch, turn on the tv, and watch the season finale of Games of Thrones. That's right! I am a hypocrite. But I earned it. I paid my dues already. My mom use to lock us out of our house and make us play outside. We were forced to play outside. And we were better for it.
See you tomorrow for Day Two's Update. Hopefully, it will not be raining all day long.
Mother of the Year...
So, I
decided to work on my "Mother of the Year" Award {insert eye roll}. I
have told the kids that I am banning tv and all electronic devices for 4
days. They will help me with things around the house and if they want
to play, they will have to {gasp} use their imagination to play ...wait
for it... "outside." I am just more than a little bit frustrated with
their lack of focus and borderline laziness. That is the reason for this
experiment. Yes, I know this may be punish me too, but I am willing to
see what happens. Can't you just wait for my daily updates? Yep! There
was another eye roll . LOL
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